Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 2023 April 8

Calvary

“And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left. Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots. And the people stood beholding. And the rulers also with them derided him, saying, He saved others; let him save himself, if he be Christ, the chosen of God. And the soldiers also mocked him, coming to him, and offering him vinegar, And saying, If thou be the king of the Jews, save thyself. And a superscription also was written over him in letters of Greek, and Latin, and Hebrew, THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS. And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise. And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst. And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.” (Luke 23:33-46)

Today’s Morsel: The Crucifixion of Jesus was foretold by many of the prophets of old, but none like Isaiah. Isaiah had prophesied: “He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.” (Isaiah 53:3-9) Calvary seems to be a crush for many in Jesus’ day. His disciples were crushed. Mary Magdalene, whom he had cast out seven devils, was heartbroken. Many of his followers felt that they had been led astray by some deceiver. The Pharisees, Sadducees, and Scribes thought that they had reached their purpose.  Pilate and his wife were perplexed. Peter felt that if he had not run out he may have been able to save Him. Judas hung himself because he had failed to understand the prophesy. But as Jesus told Nicodemus: “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” (John 3:14-17) It may seem as though Calvary was a gruesome event, and it was. But if we are truly born-again, then we can see the beauty of it all and rejoice that He is not dead, He is alive.

Sing: A look of love was on His face, a crown was on His head, a scarlet robe was on His back and painted crimson red; though His eyes were on the crowd that day, He looked ahead in time, yet when He was on the cross, you and I were on His mind.

He knew me, yet He loved me, He whose glory makes the heavens shine.  I’m so unworthy, of such mercy, yet when He was on the cross, I was on His mind. 

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 2023 April 7

Fruit Trees

“And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And the evening and the morning were the third day.” (Genesis 1:11-13)

Today’s Morsel: Here in Wisconsin and Minnesota there are a lot of apple trees. One of my favorite apples is the Ambrosia, because it is a very sweet apple.  I wanted to start to grow my own, so I bought a tree and planted it.  I took care to plant it in the right location so it will get the proper amount of sun and light for growth.  Now I’m waiting for it to grow so I will have the apple I love and can share with others. But what sold me on the tree? It was the fruit. As branches on the tree of Jesus, if we do not get the right amount of Son and Light, and the right nourishment, we aren’t going present fruit with a sweet taste, nor a pleasing look for others to want the tree. If the character of Jesus isn’t revealed and seen in us, then others will want nothing to do with the tree. But if others can taste and see that He is good by our sweet disposition, our lives and character, then they just might purchase the same tree that you are a part of.

Sing: He gets sweeter as the years go by, sweeter as the years go by; He gets richer, fuller, deeper, Jesus’ love is sweeter, sweeter, sweeter as the years go by.

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 2023 April 6

Uncommon Courage

“And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man, of Kabzeel, who had done many acts, he slew two lionlike men of Moab: he went down also and slew a lion in the midst of a pit in time of snow:”
(2 Samuel 23:20)

Today’s Morsel: During the winter here in Wisconsin we seem to get lots of snow. And each time that I must go outside to shovel or remove it, I always think of Benaiah. Who in their right mind would get in pit with a lion on a snowy day. A lion has paws making their ability to be stable and surer for the challenge. Man is more likely to slip and fall, rendering him a piece of meat for a meal. But it didn’t seem to bother Benaiah. Like David’s other mighty men, they all seemed to have uncommon courage. (Read 2 Samuel 23) Did David have daily devotions with them so that they would be courageous as the Lord had told Joshua (Read Joshua 1:1-9)? Did he relate to them how God had delivered him out of the paw of the bear and the lion? If these men of David were in the military today, they would all be awarded the Medal of Honor for their bravery, Purple-Hearts for their many wounds, Silver Stars for the gallantry, and Combat Infantry Badges for their close encounter with their enemy. Is there something that motivates you to face challenges like David’s mighty men? Are you having devotions with your family and leaders that may be under your command so they will be strong and not afraid to face challenges? If you are afraid to face confrontations with others in a loving and caring way, your strength may be weak. 

Sing: I’ve got Jesus on the inside, working on the outside, Oh what a change in my life. I’ve got Jesus on the inside, working on the outside, Oh what a change in my life. I’ve got Jesus on the inside, working on the outside, Oh what a change in my life, Oh what a change, in my life.    

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 2023 April 5

Finishing Strong

“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.” (Hebrews 12:1-3)

Today’s Morsel: If you have ever observed soldiers taking their physical fitness test, you will see many of them struggling on the last event, the two-mile run. Even though many of them have endurance and strength, the other four events prior to the last event just seem to drain or deplete them of that endurance and strength to make it to completion.   So, as their leader, when my soldiers messed up or did something wrong at work, I would give them corrective punishment using one of the physical fitness events. This was legal and it related to their training and development. Paul said that we are in a race for eternal life. Therefore, if we are to finish strong, then we must see every challenge which comes our way as helping to strength our endurance, developing us, and helping us to be ready for the next challenge or event that may come our way.  If you want to finish strong, then you must train and learn how to adapt and overcome. We don’t want the last event to be the one we fail.  

Sing: Lord, I’m running, trying to make a hundred, ninety-nine and a half won’t do. Lord, I’m running, trying to make a hundred, ninety-nine and a half won’t do.

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 2023 April 4

Sharing With Others

“Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.” (2 Timothy 2:1-2)

Today’s Morsel: If you are ever sat in a pediatric ward at the hospital, you may have heard the words, “Let them play with it, too.” Or “You need to share.” At home, children have younger siblings, then you will hear, “You need to share with each other.” What is it about sharing?  Moses even told the children of Israel, “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.” (Deuteronomy 6:4-8) They were to share it with their children the things about who God was. They were to never forget what God had done for them from generation to generation.  Paul gives the same instructions to Timothy. Timothy was to share with others the things that he had learned so that they too could share it with others. One of the easiest ways to destroy a people is to destroy its history. Even Jesus told the man of the Gadarenes, “And when he was come into the ship, he that had been possessed with the devil prayed him that he might be with him. Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but saith unto him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee.” (Mark 5:18-19) Go share your testimony, Jesus told him, with your friends and others. You need to share with others what God has done for you. Don’t hide your testimony. Someone needs to know what God has done for you. Share!

Sing:  People need the Lord; people need the Lord.  At the end of broken dreams He’s an open door. People need the Lord; people need the Lord. When will we realize that people, need the Lord.

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 2023 April 3

Power

“And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.” (Matthew 28:18)

Today’s Morsel: What would you do if you had all power in the earth? What would you do with it? Would you be able to control it, or would it control you? Abraham Lincoln stated: “If you want to see the character of a man, give him power.”  Power will reveal who you truly are. When given power, you must learn to manage it according to the rules and principles of the one who gave it to you. Jesus stated: “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” (Acts 1:8) Once we received the Holy Ghost, we were given power. Therefore, we must learn how to use it in accordance with the instructions of the One who has given it to us.  We must read and study our Bibles so that we know how to use it effectively. If we mishandle it, it can misrepresent the Giver and it can cause grave damage to not only to ourselves, but also to others.

Sing: There is power, power, wonder working power in the blood of the Lamb. There is power, power, wonder working power in the precious blood of the Lamb.

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 2023 April 1

He Chose Me

“For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth. The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people: But because the LORD loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the LORD brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations; And repayeth them that hate him to their face, to destroy them: he will not be slack to him that hateth him, he will repay him to his face.” (Deuteronomy 7:6-10)

Today’s Morsel: Do you remember as a kid, when you were selected to be on the team with your friends how you felt? Especially, when you were not selected until the very last. There is something inside each of us that makes us feel that others should want us. We apply for jobs because we feel that we have the abilities that the employer wants, and so they should choose us. But oh, how that feeling can rip our heart strings when we aren’t selected.  Moses told the children of Israel that God did not choose nor select them because they were more in number. He said that God chose them because He loved them. Because we are called to love all people, our choosing and selecting for those we desire to be on our team should be based on love. Not on race, color, origin, talent, or ability. We must always have the mind of Christ. Don’t ever think that God chose you because you were the sharpest knife in the drawer. He chose you because He loved you.  It is as simple as that.

Sing: He chose me, He chose me, out of all the people in this world. He chose me, He chose me, and He can use me till He uses me up.